


A New Window.

by FeliciaAmelloides



Series: A Oneshot a Day... [193]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Adrien Finally Making The Connection, F/M, Post Hawk Moth and Le Paon’s Defeat, Potential Love, Suicidal Thoughts, Window Ledges, Windows - Freeform, aged up AU
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-09
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-06-10 12:49:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,326
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15291882
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FeliciaAmelloides/pseuds/FeliciaAmelloides
Summary: Windows ebb and flow throughout our lives. Sometimes they stay open, other times they slam shut in our faces. But the important part is that they’re there.At a window ledge somewhere in Paris, a certain baker’s daughter discovers a brand new window in the eyes of her long time friend and partner-in-crime (well, fighting it) Chat Noir, while he learns a few things about her along the way...





	A New Window.

**Author's Note:**

> Summary is better than this oneshot, but I did try on this one.
> 
> Sorry about the extensive use of metaphors- I got a bit carried away there.
> 
> Marichat is my favourite of the four Chat Noir|Adrien **/** Marinette|Ladybug pairings for some reason. Maybe it’s just because I love Chat Noir? Idk.
> 
> Enjoy~

Why is life so full of windows? Windows of opportunities, windows to look through, windows to wave through, web browsers, barred, tinted, mirrored, fake, windows of time... There are so many places to stop and look, to open, to close, but we move so fast we forget about them. 

But not every window. There are some we’ll forget, sure. Yet there are also others we’ll remember forever...

This is the story of one such window.

*

It was a windy evening, with the sunset blocked by the grey march of a cloudy army. The college’s famous 500 year old window rested in a solid frame at the top of the building. It looked into the attic, full of old junk and dust. Students weren’t allowed up there, but they would often go there anyway. Marinette was one such student. 

It wasn’t difficult to lift the rusted latch from the window and push it open, nor was it hard to step out onto the narrow ledge which lay high above the city. It was there that Marinette stood, shaking slightly in the wind and holding on for dear life yet determined not to crawl back inside like she did every other day. If someone noticed her, they might assume she was trying to kill herself. That wasn’t it, she would say to herself. She had always been an optimist. It was just a test of courage, that was all.

“Hey there.” Marinette screamed and almost slipped from the ledge, catching herself just in time on the edge of the window. Her head snapped to the sound of the noise, although she wasn’t sure if she was angry, terrified or relieved.

A familiar blond was sitting calmly on the edge of his stick like he belonged there. Chat Noir smiled at her with a little wink. She rolled her eyes. Great.

“What are you doing here?” Mari asked accusingly. Chat didn’t seem too perturbed.

“I was going to ask you the same thing myself, actually. You’ll catch a cold out here.” _That’s_ what he was worried about? Marinette had never really understood Chat Noir. She still fought the occasional crime with him now, but there weren’t any more akuma to de-evilise so there wasn’t much point in it. Yet still, he hung around. Not that he knew who she was, of course. Sometimes she forgot that.

“I’ll be fine.” She said stiffly. The blond gave her a suspicious look.

“Really?” His disbelieving tone mocked her.

“Yes.” Her voice was a little too loud. Chat raised an eyebrow, then leapt off his stick and onto the ledge. It was barely long enough for two people, but he somehow managed. He’d always had good balance. Marinette frowned at him when he made an ushering motion towards the interior of the building. That didn’t stop her from entering, however.

It wasn’t as cold on the other side of the window. Chat gave Mari another smile before leaning back against the attic wall. She did the same, sighing deeply. Then she sneezed from the dust and he laughed.

“So... Why were you out on that ledge?” Chat Noir asked after a moment. Marinette’s brief smile fell. She didn’t know how to answer that.

“I... I don’t know. I’ve been feeling weird lately. It’s- it’s hard to explain.” Chat nodded with an odd sincerity.

“I know people always say this and it’s rarely true, but I know how you feel. Sometimes it’s all a bit much, huh? Overwhelming?” Mari’s breath caught in her throat. That was exactly it. Her head bobbed up and down breathlessly. The boy beside her smiled again, but this time he seemed less cheerful, “It’s nice to just sit and take a breath sometimes, right? Fighting crime isn’t nearly as fun without m’lady by my side.” Grin returned safely to his face, Chat shot her a wink.

“Why do you like her so much?” Marinette knew it was a stupid question, but at the same time she was genuinely curious. Chat paused in thought, then answered pensively.

“Well... Because she’s amazing, I guess. And not just in the way she looks. The thing which strikes me the most about Ladybug is how confident she is. She always looks so cool when fighting, and everyone always cheers for her... And she’s so caring too! I really admire her character strength. Her sense of humour is admittedly better than mine as well. Oh, but don’t tell her I said that! She’d never let me live it down...” Marinette laughed softly. If only he knew who he was talking to... But at the same time, she was oddly touched. Chat really felt that way about her? A tiny notion flickered in her mind all of a sudden. One she didn’t want to acknowledge, yet did so anyway.

Was she chasing after the wrong guy?

Maybe... just maybe, mind... a window into a better life had just opened for her.

“Chat Noir...” She blurted out without thinking. The kitty in question looked up to acknowledge her, “What would you do if you found out Ladybug felt the same way?” Chat seemed taken aback by that, but tried to play it off.

“She already does of course!” He said overconfidently with a brilliant wink. Marinette was just about to reject her former idea when suddenly he dropped the playfulness and looked her dead in the eyes, “But seriously? If she told me she felt the same, I’d probably just kiss her right then and there. And after that... Well, I wouldn’t care what happened because I’d be the happiest kitty in the world.” Mari giggled, then blushed at her own actions (definitely not from Chat’s answer! No way~)

“You are _such_ a furry Chat Noir.” Alya had told her about the concept of furries only a few weeks ago, yet ever since she could only think of how close her definition of one fit Chat Noir.

“Eh?! I’m not a furry, baka!” He exclaimed in an exaggerated tone before bursting into laughter. Mari joined in, actually feeling like her old self for once. Then a loud beep cut off their fun, “Ah, my ring! Sorry Mari, gotta go,” Chat leapt up and began to head to the window before abruptly turning back, “And hey... Don’t go standing on any more ledges, okay?” 

“Okay. Thank you, Chat Noir.” Marinette replied sincerely. She had begun to see Chat a Noir in an entirely new light that day. Little did she know the window into his life was hanging wide open, and she was already about to climb onto the ledge.

“Anytime, m’lady!” Chat winked, then dashed off without realising he’d unintentionally used Ladybug’s nickname on Marinette. For the dark-haired girl herself, this immediately set off warning bells. She stood at the window with a mixture of panic and something else sending jitters through her heart.

*

For the next few days, all Marinette could think about was Chat Noir. Did he know she was Ladybug? Did she like him more than the even-more-beautiful-post-puberty Adrien Agreste? Was she really asking that last question?

It was all a blur really. Nothing seemed right about the situation, but at the same time, it kind of did.

Meanwhile, Adrien himself had begun to freak out when Plagg laughed at him post-transformation for calling Marinette ‘m’lady’, provoking several disturbing thoughts that perhaps she had been Ladybug all along. Of course, there was no way, but- how many other people did he know with the exact same hair, eyes, skin tone, body type and voice as Ladybug? 

No way. Marinette couldn’t be her! 

They were even the same height...

Shit.

*

And so, the window which brought them together also brought them closer to each other’s identities, as well as each other’s arms of course. But they still had a long way to go until they could crawl through that window and reach a life together...

Would it happen? Will it? 

Only time will tell...

**Author's Note:**

> Don’t know what happened there, but it was fun to write anyway.
> 
> I didn’t want to write Mari as being all depressed and was originally going to have Adrien in that role, but I love Chat Noir so I changed it. Sorry if that screwed things up- it did for me ;;;
> 
> Prompt- Windows.
> 
> Could you tell?
> 
> Actually, this prompt is a reference to a oneshot I wrote several years ago about three windows set in the wall to a place I was waiting in line to enter. I shipped two of the windows and villainised the other one. It was really weird, but the collection of oneshots I wrote it for were all crack so I guess it fit in. Back in the day, my crack was surprisingly much better than it is now! Oh, but my actual narrative writing has improved a LOT (not that you can tell, but I can).
> 
> Original Number- 201


End file.
